


Last Regrets

by NarnianHobbit



Category: Chronicles of Narnia (Movies), Chronicles of Narnia - All Media Types, Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Genre: 1940s, Eventual Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-05-29 20:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15080750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NarnianHobbit/pseuds/NarnianHobbit
Summary: Stuck with nothing but a boring routine and studying to keep him going, Peter misses Narnia more than ever. But, thanks to some help with a few mutual friends and a trip to the bakery,  he finds himself back in Narnia. Which is admittedly odd since Aslan Himself said he could never go back.





	1. Chapter 1

 

~*~

Chapter One

~*~

There were a lot of things Peter and Lucy could agree on (which is why she'd always been his favorite sister) and one thing they could definitely agree on with no questions asked is the scratchy bed sheets in the Professor's manor were absolutely awful.

Don't get him wrong. He'll always be grateful to the Professor for allowing him to stay while he finishes up his studies. He has to admit that the room he's staying in is far much better than the one he got before. But the scratchy sheets kept him up most nights and when he told this to the Professor; all the old man did was smile and told Peter to blame the housekeeper. He isn't really surprised by that answer either.

Peter exhales sharply and squints at the little beams of yellow sunlight peaking from the curtains. Morning already? He yawns. He considers skipping classes to get a few more minutes of sleep. Five more minutes wouldn't hurt, right? He shakes his head. No, be responsible Pete, be responsible. He has to remind himself that it's not a kingly thing to do and slowly but reluctantly gets out of bed. He didn't want to get in trouble. He opens his closet and slides on his school uniform.

"Up, get up!" A shrill, feminine voice comes from the other side of his door. He jumps at the sound of loud, rapid knocking. "Boy, you'd better be up or this is the last night you're going to be staying at this household!"

He rolls his eyes, recognising the voice of the housekeeper. He sprints to the door, in the middle of tying his tie. An elderly, bespectacled woman stands in the door way with a stern expression.

"Morning, Mrs Macready, " he says half-heartedly.

"Don't morning Mrs Macready me," she mocks in her thick Irish accent. "Just because you and the professor are friendly, doesn't mean I have to be. Understood?"

He resists the urge to roll his eyes in front of her and nods his head instead. She gives him a wary look and holds out a golden letter.

"This came for you in the mail," she says, shoving it against his chest which he takes with a frown. "And don't forget to eat your breakfast, the professor wants you out of the house by 10 o' clock sharp."

His eyebrows knit together skeptically. Did that really come from the professor's mouth? He says nothing and waits for her to leave before shutting the door. Thank Aslan he didn't have to interact with her all the time. They were quite fine with keeping their distance from each other.

Peter eyes the letter in his hands and turns it over. Sure enough, it's addressed to him. His lips quirk up as he recognises his brother's messy scrawl and signature red wax seal. He carefully tears it open and his eyes dart across the parchment paper.

_Dear Peter,_

_I know I've complained countless times about Eustace. But can you really blame me? He's a pain in the neck, always has to get the last word and argue about every little thing. I envy you and Susan. You two get to go across the country while Lucy and I are stuck with that annoying brat. Lucy's too nice to him. I'm sure she's annoyed with him too. She just hides it well_.

_But enough about that. Lucy and I finally got to go to Narnia again! We got in through a painting, of all things. Guess who came with us though? The two of us had to babysit him constantly. He was rather rude to Caspian. Excuse me, King Caspian. He's doing great, by the way. When Lucy and I met him again, he was sailing on a ship. It was so stunning, a gold colour in the shape of a dragon. Which is funnily enough what Eustace got turned into._

_Narnia's not what it used to be Peter. It seems like every time we go there, it changes. I almost didn't recognise it. Even so, and I know you might roll your eyes at this, I think Caspian is doing a fantastic job keeping the peace between the countries. We did have a little problem with the slave traders. But I don't think they're going to be a problem anymore. Don't worry, we had it sorted._

_That's the last time Lucy and I will be going to Narnia though. I suppose I envy Eustace. He's our only connection to Narnia now. Sometimes I can hear Lucy cry at night when she thinks no one can hear her. Don't tell her I mentioned this to you. It's been hard for the both of us. I don't know how you and Susan handle it. I think you're both doing a better job than we are_.

_I know that you have a rough time too but I'm glad the professor is helping you through it all. How is he by the way? Any news on the lovebirds? Does your university have a fencing club? I know that it's nothing like Narnia but I hope that might help with the homesickness._

_Write back soon. Lucy misses you as well._

_Edmund_

He nearly tosses the letter into the nearest trash bin when he reads about his sibling's latest adventures in Narnia... but he stops himself. They were never going back again. He never got over that pain and his heartache when Aslan told them they could never go back. Aslan's words always echo mockingly in his head nearly every day. The homesickness is the worse of it. He's thought plenty of times of joining the fencing club. But he's worried that it might bring back painful memories.

Aslan knows how Susan's handling the loss. Every time he mentions it to her, she changes the subject. On her latest letter, she talked about the party she attended with their mum in America.

As Peter's eyes dart across the page, a smile spreads on his face as his thoughts drift over to the "lovebirds". He admires Noah's attempts to woo a girl from the school across from theirs. He still finds it hard to believe this is the same arsehole who bumped into him at the train station. He'd have to write Edmund later.

He stands nearby the familiar sign of"Coombe Halt" station, waiting for the train. He waits at the same spot almost every day. It reminds him of the time he and his siblings were waiting for the professor to pick them up. The train whistle blows, bringing Peter out of his thoughts. He sprints for the sliding doors, clutching his brown school bag close to his side as he squeezes through.

Immediately, he hears the excited chatter and laughter as he steps into the narrow hallway. Every single compartment is full of teenagers his age. Some groups were talking animatedly to each other and some still look like they were half asleep. Noah is nowhere to be found. He dreads the thought of Noah ditching him to flirt with his crush. He wouldn't be surprised if he did. He doesn't have the patience to look for Noah anymore and decides to find his own compartment instead which is admittedly frustrating to do since they were always so crowded.

He finds one in the very back but there's a girl with dark hair sitting by herself, reading a book. He winces. He doesn't want to chat with anyone at the moment. He snuck a glance at the compartment behind him only to find a couple sitting side by side, giving each other adoring eyes. He shudders. He definitely didn't want to get involved with that. So he sighs and taps on the window to get the girl's attention. She continues reading as if she hadn't heard him. He knocks against the glass a few times and frowns when the girl doesn't answer. He lets out a groan of exasperation and smacks his head against the glass. He regrets it as soon as he does it. But the girl does look up and his blue eyes meet her own. She stares at him curiously before closing the book and placing it on the seat as she walks over and unlocks the door.

"Can I help you?" she asks, tucking a strand of black curls behind her ear. Her voice is a bit airy.

"Y-yes, I was wondering if I could sit with you, " he says, giving her a sheepish smile. He'd been distracted by her golden sun and crescent moon earrings. "Everywhere else is full."

Her eyes widen. She bites her lip and glances behind him as if she were searching for someone and nods her head slowly, opening the door wider for him to get through.

"Thank you, " he smiles at her weakly. He takes his place in the seat across from hers. She says nothing else and resumes reading. The air between them is a bit stiff and awkward as they try not to stare at each other too much. "Good read?"

She merely nods her head and turns the page. He has the urge to sigh but doesn't in fear of offending her. He was never good with other girls besides his sisters even in Narnia. That's more Edmund's thing than his and, to be perfectly honest, both of them were terrible at communicating with girls.

"I can leave if I'm bothering you."

She says nothing. Is she being intentionally difficult? This time he does sigh and is about to grab his bag and leave.

"You're not bothering me," she says so softly that he thought he imagined it. He stops what he's doing and stares at her in shock.

"Erm, right then," he slowly shuts the door and takes his seat.

"Did you know there are at least five species of owls in Great Britain?" she asks, clutching the book tightly in her lap.

He raises his eyebrows at the odd question, "No, I didn't," he says truthfully. Is that her way of starting a conversation? "Is that what you were reading about?"

He grows irritated when she doesn't answer right away. Maybe he should've kept searching for Noah after all.

"They're not very fast fliers and it's bad luck if you hear them at night," she continues as if he didn't speak. "Shame really. I'm quite fond of barn owls."

Not only did he choose the wrong compartment, the girl across from him is a complete nutter. That's just his luck really.

"Do you like barn owls?"

"I... well, I can't say I've given them much thought," he answers slowly.

Thankfully, they continued the train ride to school in silence. He's not sure if he could handle any more odd questions. An hour later, the train's breaks squeal to a stop alerting everyone on board that they've arrived.

"We're here, " he tells her.

"Thanks for talking with me, " she says, reaching for her brown book bag. "Not many people do. "

_I can't imagine why_ , he thinks. He merely nods his head.

He watches quietly as she disappears into the crowd of students. He never did get her name.

He finds Noah in their English class with his feet on the desk in front of him. He shakes his head and smacks his friend with the notebook in his hands.

"What the bloody hell was that for? " Noah protests, clutching the back of his brown curls.

"You know perfectly well what that was for, you git! " Peter exclaims, taking the seat beside his friend.

Whatever Noah says is drowned out by the professor explaining their new assignments. There were a few grumbles of disappointment at the mention of silent reading but other than that the entire class was quiet save for the scratching of chalk on the blackboard.


	2. Chapter 2

"Alright, alright!" Noah exclaims. "How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?"

  
Peter merely gives him a nasty glare and childishly strolls ahead of him without saying anything. He's had enough of his friend's one track mind.

They walk out of the school, towards the courtyard where a few tables were scattered around. It wasn't usually this empty, most days there would be people eating lunch or lying on the patches of grass, reading a book. He places his book bag on the grey table and slides onto the bench.

"Can you really blame me?" Noah huffs, placing his lunch tray (which consisted of a turkey sandwich and chocolate milk) on the table. "I thought you knew I wouldn't be on the train today!"

Peter shakes his head and takes a bite of his own sandwich.

"Are you really gonna give me the silent treatment, all day?"

He pauses what he's doing and ogles the two girls getting out of the school across from theirs. They're just sitting on a pink blanket on the grass, eating their lunch and talking to each other. He frowns, recognising the weird girl from the train.

"-eter! Peter!"

Peter jumps, startled by his friend's voice. He turns towards the boy in confusion.

"You alright, mate?" Noah frowns.

He stiffens as Noah follows his gaze, towards the two girls.

"Oh, I get it," Noah gasps, "you like her!"

He doesn't like the teasing tone. He whirls around and his stomach sinks at his friend's knowing look and wolf-like grin.

"No, I don't!"

"I can set you up on a date with her!" Noah exclaims.

"Noah, don't you dare!" Peter warns. "Don't you--!"

But his friend is already rushing towards the two girls. He shakes his head. Anything he says to him goes through one ear and out the other. Honestly, Noah couldn't even get a date for himself. He can hear Noah talking from where he is. The two girls look up from their conversation to stare at him. Oh, that's going to end so badly.

Noah suddenly points over at him. Dear Aslan help him! With his quick thinking and reflexes, he slides underneath the table just as the girls glance in his direction. Forget annoyed, the girl sounds furious. He winces at the loud smack. Next thing he knows, he's staring at a pair of brown shoes.

"You can come out now," came Noah's solemn voice. "they're gone."

Peter slides back into his seat, mortified at what he'd done. His eyes wander over to the red mark on his friend's cheek.

"Hiding under the table," Noah shakes his head, staring at him incredulously. "Really?"

Noah's nursing his injury as he takes his seat.

"Damn, that woman can hit hard!"

"At least she did it for me so that I wouldn't have to," Peter shrugs his shoulders. "Which reminds me..."

He smacks his friend with his notebook.

"Consider that payback for me having to put up with you."

"I see you can still punch hard."

"Hey, that wouldn't have happened if you hadn't bumped into me in the first place."

It's quite funny how that fight even started. Peter didn't even remember the real reason why they fought in the first place. It wasn't one of his finest moments and Susan liked to remind him that whenever she could. He still remembers her smug grin when he told her how they became best friends because of a misunderstanding. Turns out he fought with a lovesick idiot who was just trying to get his crush's attention.

"I didn't need a flashback of that fight, thank you very much!" Noah winces, probably from either the wound on his cheek or from bad memories. "Can we never speak of that again?"

"You just don't want to remember it 'cause I won that fight," Peter taunts.

Noah sends him a nasty glare then sighs in resignation and rubs his temples as if he has a headache.

"Remind me again why I'm still friends with you?"

"I was hoping it was because you liked me, " Peter raises his eyebrows.

"No, no, that's not it."

"I provide you with food during school hours."

"There it is!"

It's quiet for a moment. Peter thought he could finally get some work done. As much as he hated homework, he hated procrastinating on it more.

"Why can't she just like me?"

Peter was about to make a sarcastic retort but held his tongue at the forlorn, puppy dog expression on his friends' face. He pities the older boy sometimes. Noah's had a crush on that blonde girl for a year now. He looks so much like a lost puppy that he can't help but want to help him out. He sighs heavily, shutting his notebook. He wouldn't be getting any studying done anytime soon and he isn't sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

"Maybe you just came on too strong," he reasons with him.

"She won't even look at me," Noah reminds him.

"Have you ever tried talking to her?"

"Today's my first attempt actually," Noah's hand brushes against his cheek absentmindedly. "and you saw how well that went."

"Does it ever occur to you that you could talk to her like a normal human being?"

Noah stares at him like he's crazy.

"The thought never even occurred to me."

"Then just get her to see some of your better qualities," Peter huffs. The annoyance is slowly crawling up on him.

He has the urge to smack the other boy again but resists. He can't afford to get into trouble at school.

Peter jumps as his friend suddenly exclaims "I've got it!" before gathering his things up and walking back into the school without so much as an explanation. He's not sure what's gotten into the boy. He doesn't even want to know. He rubs his face, sighing heavily. He can feel a migraine approaching.

At least it leaves him in peace, listening to the birds sing around him as he continues to write his essay.


	3. Chapter 3

The following day, Peter walks through the train towards the compartment he found. Sure enough, she's sitting there with her nose stuck in a book. He's about to knock on the glass again to get her attention but stops himself when he sees she's not alone. He freezes, recognising the familiar blonde beside her. Why now of all days? His shoulders slack and he turns away to look for another place to sit.

  
He's about to head for the sliding door when he hears someone call for him.

"Hey, you!" A feminine voice shouts. "You there!"

He whirls around, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. A tall blonde girl is standing with him in the hallway. His arm smacks against the glass door reflexively as he jumps back.

"You startled me," he says, catching his breath.

"Sorry," she smiles sheepishly. She doesn't sound apologetic though and her blue eyes are sparkling with mischief. "I have that effect on people. You can come sit with us if you want."

She gestures over to the compartment he just passed by. She takes the lead with a strut. Her short, sandy curls are bouncing with her movement.

"Found somebody for you!" The girl says to the person inside and opens the door wider for him to go through.

The brunette looks up from her book and they lock eyes once more. He waves awkwardly as he takes the vacant seat across from the two girls. He places his book bag near the window beside him. She blushes and hides behind her book. She's wearing the same golden sun and crescent moon earrings again.

"I don't think I ever got your name," the blonde girl says.

"Peter," he answers. He has to hold himself back from adding 'the magnificent.' He holds out his hand which she takes, shaking it with a firm grip.

"Oh, like Peter Pan!" she smiles brightly.

He can't help but grin at her reply. He hasn't read that story since he was a kid.

"I'm Karen," she says. She gestures over to her friend who hasn't said anything yet. "That's Emily."

"We've met," Peter says with a nod.

He notices the girl's blue eyes flick up at him for a second.

"You have?" Karen's eyebrow quirks up.

"Do you like barn owls?" Emily pipes up suddenly.

It's the same question she asked him yesterday. His lips part slightly as he stares at her in confusion. He hasn't quite figured her out yet.

"Oh, Emily," Karen sighs.

Emily stiffens at her friend's look of disapproval and brings her book closer to her face.

"Please, excuse me, " Emily says quietly.

"No, it's alright, " Peter reassures with a wary smile. "I'm not sure yet."

She doesn't reply. She merely smiles and buries her face in her book again.

"I'm sorry about her, " Karen hesitates. Her eyes dart over to her friend for a second before going back to him. "She usually doesn't talk much but when she does... "

"She doesn't make sense?" He offers, frowning. He notices the girl's smile falter from behind her book.

"Exactly," Karen nods.

The mood darkens between the three. He stiffens. Karen averts her eyes, clearing her throat. By the lion's mane, he wishes he has Lucy's ability to keep the conversation going. She usually knows what to do in these types of situations.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about yesterday," Karen admits, after a tense silence. "Is there a particular reason why you hid underneath the table?"

Damn, he should've hidden quicker. His cheeks warm up as she leans forward and folds her arms across her chest. Why does he feel like he's been chastened by a relative?

"I'm so sorry about whatever my friend said to you," he's quick to apologise.

"Don't worry about it, "a ghost of a smile appears on her face. "Though I have to admit, it felt damn good punching him."

"No kidding," Peter chuckles. "It was incredible to watch."

Karen's cheeks turn a bright crimson at the compliment. Aslan forgive him for what he says about Noah.

"Do you think you can give him a chance?" Peter asks hesitantly. Her smile falters. "Noah's a really good guy. He's just not the brightest when it comes to romance... or dating for that matter."

Karen tenses but has a thoughtful look on her face, "I'll think about it."

It's not the answer he's hoping for. But it's a start. He's not expecting them to get along right away. His shoulders tense once more at the silence that overcomes the trio. Neither girls are in the mood for talking and he isn't sure if he should stay more. Sometimes, he finds his eyes drifting over to the strange girl. But he catches himself and turns away before they could notice.

He clears his throat and is about to get up when Karen calls him out on his awkward behaviour again.

"Where are you going?" she asks, raising her eyebrows at him.

"I -- I was just trying to look for another--" he stammers and points toward the hallway.

"You can stay here if you want," she says, "It's a bit crowded out there."

He follows her gaze out the door and shakes his head. There were a few students trying to look for a compartment too.

"Alright," he nods and sits back down. He doubts he'll find Noah on the train today anyway.

To her credit, Karen tries her best to keep the conversation going the whole way to school, asking normal, everyday questions. Emily, however, has not said a word the entire time.

As the train comes to a stop, he immediately sees Noah lying on the grass with one arm spread out behind his head as he reads. He's about to approach him when he feels a tug on his jacket sleeve. He whirls around and sees Emily standing there.

"Is there... something you needed?" he asks politely with a tight smile.

"Have you... "she pauses, exhaling sharply. It's like she's trying to find the right words to say to him. "Have you ever been to another world before?"

He stiffens at the question, staring at her with his eyes wide.

"Wha--?" He stammers. His heart races as he tries to answer her.

Before he can say anything or even understand what was happening, Karen calls for her. She hesitates for a moment before waving awkwardly and disappearing into the crowd of red and blue uniforms.


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh, there you are!" Noah exclaims, grinning. "I was about to send a search party for you. "

Peter shakes his head. He's still too tired and shaken from his conversation with Emily to deal with his antics. He merely takes a seat beside him on the grass, in a daze as he grabs a bite of breakfast to eat before Maths starts.

"Are you alright, mate?" Noah asks with a look of concern. "You've been spacey lately."

No, he's not alright. He hasn't been alright since he's left Narnia.

"I'm alright," he smiles to show him but it must not have worked from the skeptic expression on Noah's face.

"Sorry if I ruined your chances with her, " Noah averts his eyes. "I tried my best to get her to answer but she doesn't really--"

"Talk, I know," he rolls his eyes. Of course, his friend would worry about that. Still, Noah rarely apologises to anyone. It caught him off guard for a moment. "Don't worry, it's not because of that."

"Are you sure?" Noah asks. He throws his hands up in defense at Peter's deadpan expression. "Alright, just making sure," his hazel eyes flicker over towards the other school across from theirs. "She was a bit weird though. Sure you don't fancy her?"

"I never said I fancied her," he pointed out. "You just assumed."

"Well, you stared at her a lot," Noah argues. "Of course I thought you fancy her."

He groans audibly, lying down on the grass. He wishes the older boy would just stop talking about girls and dating for once. Their conversations were borderline repetitive and got on his nerves. It's like he's talking with Susan, listening to her never ending chatter about parties and dances... and, horrifyingly enough, boys.

"You really don't like her, do you?" Noah questions.

Might as well humour him, he reasons.

"How weird was she?"

"Pretty damn weird," Noah replies. His eyebrows quirk up. "Kept going on about random science facts and owls."

Peter slightly perks up at that.

"She asked you about owls?"

"Yeah," Noah looks as confused as he felt. "Is that some sort of secret code you two have got going on?"

"No."

Just what was it about that girl and owls? He never saw the appeal even in Narnia. He's a bit fond of cats but he never thought to ask people about them. Then again, not a lot of people liked cats that much, did they?

"Oh, just a quick heads up," Peter says, and the boy looks up from his breakfast. "Your true love might stop by sometime today."

"What?" Noah spits some scrambled eggs onto Peter's blue blazer.

Oh lovely, he thinks to himself. His nose scrunches up at the mess as he wipes it off with a napkin.

"Why didn't you say something about that?!"

"You didn't tell me about your train schedule."

"That's completely different!" Noah exclaims harshly, his hazel eyes are completely wide as his breakfast plate. "This is about me possibly scoring--!"

"Hello, boys!"

Both boys jump, spooked from the feminine voice greeting them. They watch speechlessly as the two girls sit on the grass with them.

"So where do we start?" Karen asks, placing her pink bag next to her.

The two boys share a look of confusion.

"Wait, right now?" Noah stammers.

"That's what I was hoping for, yes," she replies, sitting perfectly straight as she takes a bite of her salad. "Dazzle me."

"Are they allowed to do that?" Noah whispers in a strange squeak. A noise Peter has never heard the other boy make before.

"Apparently so."

Noah turns toward him. His deadpan expression could rival his brother's. Peter only smiles sheepishly, completely speechless. He hadn't been expecting her to actually listen to his advice, especially not right away. He glances over at Emily, who's smiling behind her book, for answers. Her cheeks are a bit red.

"I--" Noah squeaks then clears his throat to make his voice deeper. "Where would you like to start?"

"Frankly, I thought we could get to know each other," she glances over at Peter, raising her eyebrows at him as if to remind him it's his idea, and then turns her attention back to Noah. "and you're not really off to a good start."

Karen takes another bite of her salad with her eyes darting back and forth between the two boys. Noah's eyes continuously dart back and forth between him and Karen until he finally settles for him. Peter shrugs at the accusatory glare his friend sends his way. He's only semi involved in this train wreck. She came all on her own.

"Well?" Karen prompts.

He shakes his head. Only Noah could boast about how he's going to win her affections for the whole year and be completely awkward when they finally get a chance to talk. He isn't that much better at the subject so he really shouldn't judge.

"Do you like barn owls?"

Peter exhales sharply, staring at Emily in disbelief. Is she really going to ask that all the time? She's not looking at him. Her gaze is directed at Noah who's taken aback by the question.

"I --I'm sorry, what?" Noah stammers, looking to him for help. But Peter shakes his head, just as confused.

"Do you like barn owls?" she repeats.

"Emily!" Karen whispers harshly.

"I--I yeah, I think they're... alright, I suppose, I've never really seen one though, " Noah glances over at Peter as if asking him "what the bloody hell was that?" Peter shrugs.

"Hello, Peter," Emily greets.

He stiffens as she directs her gaze over towards him. He's so used to her silence that hearing her talk caught him off guard.

"Hi, Emily, " he greets her hesitantly.

She smiles brightly and waves but doesn't say much after. Karen throws him a grateful smile as if she were silently thanking him. He'll never understand girls.

"Do you like plays?" Noah blurts out.

Karen stops in her tracks and she whirls around, staring at him incredulously.

"Plays?" she repeats slowly. He nods his head. "What kind of plays?"

"I'm a bit fond of Shakespeare's work myself, " Noah smiles brightly. "always have been."

"You're not talking about Romeo and Juliet are you?" she asks with a wry expression on her face.

"Good heavens, no!" Noah exclaims. "We read that in class once and I fell asleep right away."

Karen turns to him for confirmation.

"It's true," Peter sighs. "but he falls asleep in that class almost all the time so... "

He smirks at the heated glare sent in his direction.

"I'm actually talking about Macbeth or Hamlet or Othello," Noah eases into the conversation, smiling smugly as her jaw drops in surprise.

"You know, I'm a big fan of Hamlet myself, " Karen says, still wary of him but intrigued by the notion. "They're showing it this weekend. Perhaps you'd like to come see it with me?"

"Really?" Noah gasps. His brown eyes light up with excitement and looks ready to jump out of his chair at any given moment. "Yes! I mean," he clears his throat. "that would be quite amazing!"

"See you then," Karen winks.

She nods over to the other girl and they both stand on their feet.

"Wait!" Peter calls out to them. They both pause and whirl around perfectly in sync. "I was wondering if I could talk with Emily for a bit before you go to your classes? It's really important."

Emily turns towards the taller girl as if she's silently asking if it's alright. Karen purses her lips but nods her head.

"I'll be watching from over there, Peter Pan," she points over towards the school's entrance.

"What were you talking about earlier?" He asks as soon as Karen leaves. "Why'd you ask me that?"

She doesn't reply right away. She has this distant look in her eyes, almost wistful and longing. It's hard not to notice the small, dark circles underneath them.

"Your entire existence is weird, it's like -- like you're not meant to be here... like you're meant to be somewhere else, " she explains. She gasps sharply. Her blue eyes widen in horror. "I didn't mean that in a rude way, I--I just--"

"No, no, it's okay, " he gives her a tight smile. "I understand that."

"You do?"

"I know that feeling really well," he says. He shuts his eyes and can hear a ghost of a roar in his ears.

"Do you like barn owls, Peter?"

"I'm beginning to," he admits honestly.

His eyebrows rise when her cheeks turn a bright crimson.

"Thank you for--"

"I know," he smiles at her for the first time since they met. "You're welcome."

"I s-should probably--" she points over to the girl waiting.

"Y-yeah, right!"

Emily waves awkwardly and wanders back over towards the blonde haired girl who was tapping her feet against the pavement impatiently. Peter gathers up his things, tensing at Noah's quiet snickering.

"And you said you didn't like her."

Peter calmly slaps the back of his friend's head.

"Ow! Jeez, I should have you arrested for unnecessary abuse!" Noah whines, clutching his head.

"Oh relax, I didn't even hit you that hard," Peter rolls his eyes, throwing his bag over his shoulder.

"What was that for?!"

"For being an idiot."

"I managed to score a date with her, didn't I?"

"Whatever you say, Noah."

"Hey, don't you walk away from me, Pevensie! I need you to tell me more about Hamlet!"


End file.
